Spider monkey that bit Beachwood man euthanized; rabies test negative

VERMILION — A YouTube video of Brodi the spider monkey adds the message, “RIP Brodi, 1/18/2014.” According to reports, the Erie County Health Department has euthanized a spider monkey that bit a Beachwood man on the hand at a Vermilion car dealership Tuesday. Reports also indicate that health department officials confirmed the monkey did not have rabies. The monkey was taken late Friday night and was euthanized about midnight, according to reports. Bob England, Director of Environmental Health with the Erie County Department of Health, told NewsChannel5 that transportation of Brodi without the proper enclosure was one of the violations. Jacob Ruehlman, 20, of Vermilion, is the owner of Brodi, a 10-pound White-bellied spider monkey that bit an employee at Pat O'Brien Chevrolet, 4545 Liberty Ave. Ruehlman said he and his twin brother, Michael, brought Brodi with them to the car dealership because they did not want to leave the animal at home alone. Ruehlman said he went home to change Brodi's diaper and had to go to Pat O'Brien to check on his car before the auto body shop closed. He said he didn't want to leave Brodi at home, because the monkey gets upset when parted from his owner. Brodi was sitting on Michael Ruehlman's lap in their rental car when a Pat O'Brien employee approached the car window. The employee asked to pet Brodi, whom Jacob Ruehlman said might have felt out of his element in a strange place. “He (the employee) reached his hand right in the car,” Ruehlman said. “It wasn't a serious bite. It looked like someone had stuck a tiny pin in his thumb.” Ruehlman said Brodi received a rabies vaccination last year, which was verified by police. An exotic animal permit for Brodi was pending, he said. Ruehlman said he applied for the permit in October 2013, which also was verified by police. Records show Ruehlman registered for the permit through the state Department of Agriculture on Oct. 3. The Ruehlman brothers were previously arrested in Ft. Myers, Fla., on misdemeanor charges of allegedly stealing a pair of gibbons from a Nebraska woman. According to the Lincoln Journal Star, the brothers met Nancy Stephens on the Internet. The brothers reportedly stayed with Stephens at her Nebraska home during the summer of 2013 until mid-July. When Stephens' two gibbons went missing in September, she suspected the brothers and alerted a mutual friend, who convinced Jacob Ruehlman to meet in Florida to return the gibbons, the Journal Star reported. Before the brothers could meet the mutual friend, a Lee County deputy sheriff stopped and arrested them. Charges against the brothers are pending through the Lee County Common Pleas Court. Ruehlman, who has had pet monkeys since age 15, has had Brodi since it was 2 months old. Ruehlman said he obtained Brodi in Missouri through a licensed breeder, Lolli Brothers Livestock Market Inc. Police verified receipts of the sale, which show Brodi was purchased by Ruehlman on Dec. 9, 2011. Ruehlman had said he hoped Brodi's life would be spared because Brodi is up-to-date on all his shots. “He's a new world monkey,” Ruehlman said. “They don't carry diseases. Brodi was born here in the United States, so it's not like he's some exotic, wild animal. “He's like my kid,” he said. “He sleeps in bed with me, wears diapers and has the biggest bedroom in the house.” Ruehlman reportedly said the family had hired a lawyer trying to stop Brodi from being euthanized. Ruehlman, upset with county and state officials, said the euthanization of his pet was unfair. According to reports, officials said the bite was the main issue. Over the phone, England told NewsChannel5, “The victim was adamant, they wanted to have this animal tested and that's our obligation. The citizens of Erie County, the people who work in Erie County, if they are exposed to a monkey during a bite, and there's the chance of rabies transmission and they want to have the animal tested, that is their right and it's our obligation and our duty at the Erie County Health Department to make sure that, that is performed and that we reassure the public that after an exposure like this, they have no risk for rabies.”